Guest Ki: Chapter 51
Hidden Faces, Twisted Threads
(Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!) Thunder boomed, rattling the window. Akane frowned. She was getting ready for bed. It had been a hellish week and she had decided to retire early. (Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!) What was that noise? Were they getting hail along with the rain? She yanked the curtains open and boggled. Barry, soaked, was hanging upside down from the eaves. She pointed to the window and indicated she wanted Akane to let her in.
Considering Akane was standing there in her panties and bra, this was not exactly protocol. Akane snatched the window open, reached out and grabbed the redhead by the shirtfront. Fortunately it was one of Ranma's silks and her yank brought the dripping visitor safely in. Safe, that is, if she had a very good reason for peeping at her at this time of night. Barry was already talking.
"Akane! I think I figured it out!" the redhead almost giggled gleefully. "Fishing! Entanglement! We got our lines crossed…" She jerked and shut up as Akane let her aura flame a little. She suddenly seemed to see Akane for the first time, taking in her state of undress. Barry gulped. She fumbled in a pocket and pulled out two chopsticks and a dripping, tangled ball of twine. She separated it into two pieces and made a casting motion. The strings swung in nice straight arcs, remaining separated. Barry repeated the process, side by side, without success –or rather without interaction.
"B-b-b-ar-RY!" Akane's aura grew a bit brighter. Ranma's guest realized she was showing considerable restraint.
"Ummm… The string's wet! Maybe it won't work with wet string! Hold a sec!" Cupping the string in her palms, she sat on the end of the bed and concentrated on using hot ki to dry the string. She very carefully averted her eyes from Akane's form. Muttering and glaring darkly, the other girl pulled out her pajamas and slid on the trousers then yanked on and buttoned the top. Feeling a little more secure, she went over and watched what Barry was doing. "Almost done," she said. "Any hotter would set the string on fire." Finally she cast again. The pieces of twine crossed each other slightly, hung for a second, then fell apart . Thunder rumbled distantly. The storm had been intense but was passing quickly.
"Well?" Akane seemed to be focusing down to her kill pervert mode. Her fingers twitched and Barry could have sworn a ghostly mallet hung just out of sight.
"Ummm…" Barry rolled her eyes, a little panicky at the look on Akane's face. "This'll be a little artificial." She thrashed the threads haphazardly through the air. Soon the strings were so entangled that it was hard to tell they where one stopped and the other began. Akane took it from Barry's hand. She tugged lightly. The twine remained knotted together.
"Okay. What does this have to do with anything?"
"Projective auras, Akane!" Barry grinned, now that immediate pummeling seemed to be put aside. "We never find accounts of successful projections of anything but the astral levels. Where there are accounts of people switching bodies, we've never managed to figure out how they did it!"
"What does this string…"
"What if the astral levels weren't replaced, but intertwined -entangled, still in place? What if Ranma isn't separated from his body, but tangled up in my astral self so tightly that our consciousness are working the wrong bodies?"
"That would be…" Akane shook her head. "But what does the string have to do with this?"
"Trauma and emotion, tomboy. Ranma's been in some rough times. I'm not blaming you, okay?" Barry added at her guilty flinch. "But let's face it! He's been having constant traumatic emotional and physical shocks most of his life, and the most traumatic, at least from his point of view, just recently. Projective ki is highly emotional in basis! And we have some peculiar parallels in our lives that might make us sympathetic to one another. When I came here I was coming from a job I loved but was very frustrated with. His was from a relationship he… loved yet was very frustrated with. Our real skills are in different areas: his in martial arts, and mine in art. He turns into a girl. A few years ago, I learned I had a stillborn fraternal twin. Wanna bet it was a girl? My mom and dad are physically, European copies of Genma and Nodoka. Both Genma and my father went bald early. Alternatively, my father was an upstanding member of his community and never considered leaving his wife. I lost my father young, though not as young as Ranma lost his mother…"
Akane grew more and more puzzled as Barry ran down a list of comparisons between himself and Ranma. "It sounds like you two are… I don't know - not mirror images of one another, but in some ways…" she said finally.
"We're alike but approached our similarities from different paths," Barry corrected. "I'd never heard of Budo, but was well read on chivalry, which is a little like it. We both chose to consider ourselves protectors. I've gotten into a few fights where I felt someone was bullying someone else."
"How did you do?" Akane asked. "You weren't much of a fighter before you came here."
"I'd shame them into backing down. I'm strong but when my opponent was reduced to beating me to a pulp while I'm telling him to his face throughout, why he's wrong and kept coming back for more… It got a little pointless if they had any honor at all."
"Ouch!"
"Yeah."
"The string?" Akane prompted.
"At the time Ranma was…pounded flat and I was thrown from my horse, we were both under severe emotional and physical stress. Remember the out of body experiences? We tangled. Ranma was far more powerful, projectively, and returned to his body. He brought me, unintentionally, with him. He faced the feline aura, which maybe is a result of the Nekoken at its peak, and fled the cat to find a sanctuary. Stress and emotion, right?" She nodded. "I don't know about you, but if I'm running in a panic, I don't think I'd watch where I was going. He woke up… in my body."
"But…" Akane looked troubled. "When we did that search, I had to go a long way to find him."
"Maybe all the way there and back again?"
"Huh?" Akane said intelligently.
"Each part of the aura has pointers and relationships that indicate contact with the rest of the aura."
"Say that in Japanese, please!"
"You sought Ranma's soul by following my astral contact. When you reached Ranma, his awareness point or node indicated what belonged to him as a whole. You felt him then."
"That's pretty glib, Barry," she growled.
"I thought you told me to speak in Japanese?" the redhead grinned. Akane hit her with a pillow.
"Baka!" Then, more seriously, "What next?"
"Cologne. And maybe, finally, home for me and home for Ranma." There was a tapping at the door.
"Akane?" Kasumi called in. "Aunt Nodoka's on the phone." She went on more quietly, "Is Barry here? She said he suddenly ran out at dinner and she's concerned."
The door snatched open and Kasumi faced a familiar redhead who was grinning madly. She grabbed Kasumi's hands, danced a jig around her and ran down the steps. "I'll talk to her!"
"Oh, my!" Kasumi blinked and looked in at Akane who was sitting on the bed. "Ummm… Has something happened?"
Akane nodded numbly. "I… think he may have worked it out this time."
"To bring Ranma back?" Akane nodded, tears beginning to leak from her eyes. Suddenly her smile, her honest smile blazed up. "Oh, Kasumi…"
Her sister gasped as Akane hugged her and danced up and down a little herself. "I'm so happy for you, Akane!" she managed. She hadn't seen that smile since they came back from China. Downstairs, they heard the front door open.
"See ya tomorrow! I'll meet ya here!" The door banged shut.
"He came to tell you even before he told Nodoka," Kasumi said, shaking her head. "How sweet! I suppose things will be a bit busier for a while, then?"
"Probably," Akane guessed. "Thanks for everything."
"I'm always here for you, little sister. " Kasumi hugged her sister again and left. Akane sat back down on her bed. She was still stunned by this sudden surge of hope. The door rapped again.
"Come in!" she called. It was Nabiki. "You heard?"
"Moi?" Nabiki said. "I left my eaves-dropping equipment at the university."
"Oh! You're working low tech, then?" She pointed to the glass in Nabiki's hand.
"Every word!" the other admitted. "Is what he said reasonable?"
"I really want Cologne's opinion," Akane hedged.
"How soon do you think you'll try?"
"I… As soon as possible! But I wouldn't be surprised if it took a week or so to set up"
"Call me!" Nabiki said. "I want to be there when he gets back." Then she gave Akane a very rare hug that brought tears to her eyes all over again. "I'm rooting for you, sis," she whispered in Akane's ear. She broke away and looked down with a strange expression. "Are you aware that the bed where you're sitting is soaked?"
Akane jumped up. Her pajamas were plastered to the back of her legs and bottom. She looked at the bed and realized that this was where Barry, fresh in from the rain, had sat down while explaining about Ranma. "Honestly!" she exclaimed. Then she began to laugh.
The next week was busy, but not dangerous for a change. None of the principals in this drama were able to concentrate on school. Barry got a look at one of the altered photos (everyone seemed oblivious to the alteration for some reason) and noted that the woman was beautiful, well endowed and vaguely similar to a character from the new anime on the market called Tenchi Muyu, if the Juraiian princess were French instead of alien. The result still had punch, but not the ugly obsessive hunger of the original. He also tried to see Kodachi, but the hospital staff was under strict orders to keep him out.
Monday, Barry introduced Kurumi and Natsume to Furinkan. They immediately had a horde of admirers around and he was forced to be quite firm with some people. Natsume became part of their class, though she was going to have to work her tail off to catch up. Kurumi was part of the freshman class (at Furinkan there were only freshman, junior and senior grades). They were immediately dragooned into helping with the decorations for a Halloween dance that had been promoted by the principal.
That individual had wanted a Hawaiian theme, but was overruled by Urd, Beldandy, Hinako and most of his staff, as well as representatives of the Saotome, Tendo, Kuonji, and Joketsuzoku clans. When he recovered, he'd try for the next dance.
Along with Natsume, they gained another new student, Jiro Hadoka, who was a short, intense, muscular young man who claimed to be a martial artist. Barry had grinned and warned him to watch out for the principal.
"Why?" the young man had asked looking surprisingly nervous for a martial artist.
"Because the first thing he does is go for the hair! He wants all the guys to have buzz-cuts or shorter. You know what'll happen if you end up with a buzz-cut?"
Jiro stroked his thin hair protectively. "What?"
"People will know your secret identity." Barry could have sworn Jiro looked ready to faint. He wondered what past he had to hide.
"My—? What do you mean?"
"With your hair short, or if ya were bald, you'd look a heck of a lot like Kurrilan from DBZ. If ya know projective ki techniques, everyone'll be askin' ya to do the Destructo Disc!"
"Who? The what?"
"Kurrilan… DBZ…?" Barry waited for some response. "C'mon, Jiro! It's only one of the most popular animé on!
"I don't have time for that stuff," Jiro sniffed. "My Art is my life!"
"Oh man, does that sound familiar!" Barry chuckled, realizing this boy had been even more deprived than Ranma in his social life. Others, listening, nodded and Jiro earned the nickname of Kurrilan.
Barry's missed date waffled, then decided not to reschedule. She was afraid she might just get caught up in one of Ranma's 'weird things' and watching Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo hunt down 'Ranmas' and turn them into classmates with water pistols had freaked her out. The Furinkan girls were gaining a whole new perspective on Ranma.
In fact, that latest Ranma's 'weird thing' had freaked a lot of the girls out, and Barry was relatively date-free through the end of the month. The only date still on the list was Shampoo, scheduled for Tuesday night.
He got hold of Sasuke on Tuesday after school and asked after Kodachi. Shampoo did not object to the detour.
"It's the opinion of the psychological staff that your presence might not be beneficial at the moment, Ranma," Sasuke said. The little man looked tired. "She has enough trouble with hot liquids even in her controlled environment."
"Dr. Hashi… whatever his name is… He's not involved here, is he?"
"No. Master Kuno was quite clear about that. And I would have insisted despite his protests." Sasuke added with a hint of steel in his voice.
"How's Tatewaki?"
Sasuke shrugged. "He should be out of the hospital next week. If you want, you can see him. He, surprisingly, doesn't blame you for the beating he received."
"Aiya," commented Shampoo, who had been silent most of the visit.
"That is surprising!" Barry hesitated. "He was back to acting weird, I understand."
"He's lost some ground," admitted the other. "At least he believes the pigtailed girl is your sister. That should make some things easier."
"Do you still turn… you know?"
"Yes. It seems I have you as an alter ego the rest of my life. Hopefully, the young master will understand."
Barry and Shampoo grinned. "Could be worse. How about spring of drowned cat?" Shampoo suggested.
"…or, oh… Midorigame?" Barry offered.
Sasuke shuddered. "I've had Mistress's pet moved to the National Zoo for the duration. He should be happy enough there. They had wanted a male salt water crocodile." He smiled. "We even had help from an Australian expert, (amazing how tall those Australians are) who was in town for a lecture. You know, the kind the Emperor likes to encourage?"
"Rah-rah! Bio-diversity and ecological responsibility?"
"Exactly."
"Sounds good to me." Barry gave Sasuke a bow.
"What was that for?" the ninja asked.
"Respect to a man of responsibility, Sasuke. Get used to it."
"Yes. It's a little hard to remember that I'm now CEO of Kuno Industries and vote Mistress Kodachi's and Master Kuno's stocks till they're recovered."
"If the situation changes, call me. I want to help." Barry rose and glanced around the well-appointed office. "Forgive our rudeness for going out first," he added formally and they left.
Shampoo, surprisingly, steered them toward Ucchan's. As they walked in through the door, Barry noticed Akane sitting at a table. Shampoo guided them over and sat down next to the other girl. Barry, after a pause, sat down on the other side.
"What? You expecting maybe real date?" Shampoo asked.
"I had wondered."
"What'll it be, guys?" said Ukyo, sliding out from behind the counter. Akane ordered a pork 'yaki, Shampoo ordered a chicken, and Barry, after a moment, ordered a special. Ukyo's eyebrow rose. "You haven't been eating that since I found out about you, sugar," she said. "Why you ordering Ranma's favorite?"
Barry was silent for a while. "Memory. I'm gonna miss you people," he said suddenly. "It looks like, real soon, I'm goin' back and I'm never gonna see any of you again."
The girls exchanged glances. "Oh, don't worry!" he exclaimed. They might be afraid he was giving in to temptation, "I want to go back! I miss Gwen so much it hurts," he laughed then sobered. "But you've become friends. Good friends, people that I admire as well as like."
"Does that include me, Barry?" Nodoka asked from behind the grill. There was no one else in the shop. Nodoka was preparing the 'yaki for the three guests.
"Of course." He smiled at Ranma's mother. "Say… I've been meaning to ask. Is your martial arts based on aikido?"
"It was. I haven't really practiced it in years, though."
"Girls," he said to the fiancées, "this shows the importance of a mother's touch." He turned back to her. "You may be the reason Ranma turned out as well as he did."
Nodoka flipped one of the 'yaki and gave him a small smile. "How could that be? I had him for such a short time, and he has, more recently, had a very poor image of me."
"That short time may have been all that was necessary." He watched her thoughtfully, the graceful minimal movements, the peaceful way that she faced things. He knew she had a temper. But even saints had bad days. "Ranma's philosophy of life was formed before he ever left on the training trip. How many times did you say, when Genma was training him, 'try to use only enough force to win' or —remember that bully — 'a true martial artist leaves his foe with his dignity. Both should win in your victory.' You said that.
"I admit I did." She finished the okonomiyaki and passed them to Ukyo. "I think it was part of the reason why Genma left."
"Maybe. But Genma's always lacked confidence. Ranma has confidence in spades." Barry smirked, his best Ranma expression, then smiled more naturally. "When monks and martial arts masters talked about Budo, he listened because it kept his memories of you alive. He may not have remembered just why, but I think a lot of his philosophy came from aikido, Nodoka."
She sighed a little shakily. "Then my purpose was fulfilled in my son. Whether he knows it, or not." The girls swallowed. They'd make a point to remember this when they had babies of their own.
They ate, discussing less critical things… including the dance on Thursday. "Pity Ranma won't be back for it, but Cologne was pretty adamant about not trying before Saturday."
"Ranma doesn't dance anyway, Barry," Akane smiled. "At least, he never has with any of us," she added uncertainly then scowled. "I'm not sure I'd call what he did, in some of his disguises, dancing, anyway."
"I've probably danced more than he has, Akane," Barry said smirking. "Of course, my girlfriend, now wife, had to grab me by the ear and drag me onto the dance floor." He winced in memory. "Also, that first time may have been because I gave her only a week's warning for the prom."
"At least you did not have many fiancées fighting over you," Shampoo reminded him.
"Thank God!" he exclaimed. He bumped his glass and girled himself. " And I'm really gonna like not changing every time I run through the wash."
"Bitch, bitch, bitch!" murmured Ukyo.
Barry glared, then laughed. "Oh, no! I'll miss my big opportunity for stardom!" They stared at her. "Hiroshi and Daisuke's movie, of course! What was it? 'Vixen of Furinkan'?"
"Eeuw!" They hit her. Even Nodoka hit her.
"That was very inappropriate, Barry-san" she scolded.
"I'm sorry! You know I'd never do anything like that!" she exclaimed. "Heck, the idea of having sex as a girl…" She shuddered.
"What's wrong with sex for a girl?" Nodoka asked, looking affronted. He stared at her then shook all over.
"You mean what's wrong with the concept in general? Or Ranma or I thinking about it?"
"The concept in… Oh!" She blushed.
"I have nothing against the concept in general, as long as I'm on the other side of the equation," Barry said smiling sweetly. "But let's change the subject." She turned to the Amazon. "Do you have any homework, Shampoo?"
She waved it aside. "I will do it later," she said. "We will sit down and watch my favorite show." She carefully structured the grammar and smiled secretively.
"What are you up to, cat-girl?"
"You see." She looked at Akane. "We go your house?"
"See you guys later!" called Ukyo.
"Behave yourself, Barry," Nodoka said smiling.
So Barry was forced to endure a viewing of ultra-skinny animé girls in silly short costumes, doing really ridiculous things 'in the name of the moon', whatever that was.
Akane sat only inches away. Just far enough that Shampoo, in cat form, could tuck in between them, receiving the attention cats have demanded for millennia and purring as fingers rubbed behind her ears or under her throat, or stroked the length of her furry body. Her purring was loud enough they had to turn up the TV.
Thursday, Ryoga came to school with a look of shock on his face.
"What's wrong, man?" Barry asked. Ryoga stared at him as if he'd lost his wits. Barry became quite concerned. "Yo! Anyone home?"
"I'm gonna be a brother!"
Barry's eyebrows rose. Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo turned in their seats and stared.
"Uh, you mean like I'm Kurumi and Natsume's brother?"
"No, you jerk!" Ryoga grabbed Barry by the shirtfront and shook him. "My father's always been faithful to Mom!"
Barry refrained from pointing out that Ryoga could hardly guarantee that.
"Mom's… expecting."
That was a bombshell.
The girls were immediately around asking questions about due dates, what she wanted or needed and whether they hoped for another boy or a girl this time.
Barry frowned at Ryoga's stammered answers. He started smiling. "Hmmm. That would put it around the time they arrived here last, wouldn't it? When your hot water went out?"
"Put what?" Ryoga looked blank.
"Conception, you jackass," Ukyo growled affectionately. "October 1st. The deed was done; the date was missed; the test was run; and…" Ryoga went bright red as he finally figured out what the speculation was about.
"Hey! Isn't that kinda private and personal?" he complained, blushing.
"Not anymore, baka," snickered Akane.
"I…I…I…"
"You taking Akari to the dance tonight?" Shampoo asked. Ryoga sighed and shook his head.
Ukyo glared. "What? You chicken or something?" she snapped.
"That's not it at all!" Ryoga shouted at her. "Akari had to go home. Her grandfather says he's sick again."
"Ya think he's pushin' to make ya set a date?" Barry asked.
"I don't know," Ryoga mumbled unhappily.
"What were you two going as?" Akane asked. Poor Ryoga!
Ryoga shifted uneasily. "I don't know really. Does it matter? Probably something to do with pigs."
"Ouch! That sounded bitter!" Barry commented. He thought 'poor Ryoga', too, but with slightly different emphasis.
Ukyo's eyes softened. It wasn't the big jerk's fault if Akari had other commitments. It also wasn't fair that he should miss out on the fun. She moved over and took him by the arm. "Well, I'm taking you, sugar!" she informed him. "I've even got an idea for costumes."
"Ukyo?" Ryoga stared at her. She smiled back lopsidedly.
"I was going to go to work, but… what the hey! You're coming with me! Amazon rules, remember?"
Ryoga nodded wordlessly. Maybe he forgot that he did have the option to say no. Barry smiled, eyes narrowing.
"A costume party!" Jiro had attached himself loosely to their group, at least at school. "I wasn't paying attention! What shall I go as?"
"You could shave your head and go as Kurrilan, …Kurrilan." Barry chuckled. "I'm thinkin' of going as Goku. Maybe we could bask in each other's glory?"
"I'm not cutting my hair!" Jiro snapped.
"Maybe you could use one of those baldie head-pieces like they have in the theater department?" suggested Natsume, walking over.
"Not a bad idea! Thanks," Jiro said gratefully. "Will you go as my date?" he asked immediately. He made puppy dog eyes, making her laugh.
"Sorry, Jiro," she giggled at his crestfallen look. "Maybe another time!"
"Rats!" he muttered, turning away dejectedly.
"Hey! Lots of guys and gals team up after they're at the dance, Jiro!" Barry offered him hope. "Besides, Kurrilan's popular with the girls. You'll get some attention simply for that."
"Think you can help me, Ranma?" Jiro asked, excited. "I don't know the show that well."
"Sure thing," Barry said easily.
"What are you going as, Akane?" asked Natsume.
"It's a secret." Akane glanced at Shampoo.
"I was tryin' to convince her she should go as Chichi, but she doesn't want to go to the effort of actin' like a jealous, domineering, shrewish, martial artist housewife." Barry delivered his line with a perfectly straight face. There was a silent breeze that swept across the room. Everyone eyed Akane as if she were fifty kilos of high explosive with a short fuse.
"I can't believe you said that!" Akane exclaimed. Neither could anyone else! They waited for the mayhem. "We're nothing at all alike," Akane sniffed primly, turning away with a slight lift of her head. Then Barry and Akane howled as everyone face-faulted in reaction. Even Shampoo and Ukyo looked shaken. Ryoga shook his head in disgust.
Class got underway with minimal additional distraction, though Akane wondered at the maniacal way Hinako grinned at her.
They were visited by Hinako, Beldandy and Urd at lunch. The ki-vampire was ecstatic!
"Akane! Akane!" She danced in place. "You'll never believe it! Nope! Not ever in a million, zillion years!"
Barry, Akane and Shampoo stared. Hinako could be cute, but… At least Ukyo was at her grill. She probably wouldn't be able to face food at all after such an exhibition. Urd and Beldandy looked apologetic.
"Okay! What is it, Miss Hinako?" Akane asked.
"Your father agreed to help chaperone the dance!"
Akane stared. "He… He did?" she stammered.
Her father had been running from Miss Hinako since she came to Nerima. Something about him had attracted the little teacher and she periodically made his life hell as she tried to catch his eye. He avoided her like the plague. It made no sense whatsoever for him to suddenly put himself in harm's way.
Barry had noticed Soun's reticence, and understood it well. He also knew that Hinako was a tough, sweet woman. He wasn't sure Soun was a good match for her, though. He hadn't done anything to promote that romance for that reason, and because he lacked time to do anything about it.
They had found something similar to her condition in their research, but the treatise had offered no way to correct the matter. Hinako must have had a disease of the blood, like leukemia, for the method to be utilized to begin with.
When Akane looked at him helplessly, he shrugged. "Your dad's a big boy now, Akane. He can make his own mistakes." Miss Hinako looked hurt and pouted. "Miss Hinako, don't you think it's a bit strange that Papa Tendo agreed to this out of the blue?" She stared at him. "I know it sounds odd, coming from me, but I don't want to see you hurt."
She smiled again then and giggled. "Despite appearances, Ranma, I'm a big girl; I can make my own mistakes, too." She turned to Akane. "And don't worry, Akane, I won't be mean to your father."
Beldandy and Urd sighed unnoticed behind her. "We're chaperones, too," Beldandy announced cheerfully. "Keiichi will be my escort."
"I hope Urd... Miss Kamiko, that is," Barry corrected at Hinako's glare, "has a date. Some of these baka think a costume makes them acceptable instead of merely ridiculous."
"Oh, I've got a date," Urd said smiling.
"Do the idiots around here know it?" Barry asked. "Otherwise some girls aren't going to have dates with these baka hoping they'll catch your eye."
"Girls don't need dates like that," sniffed Shampoo.
"Sometimes girls won't go if they don't have dates, even ones like that, Amazon," Barry retorted. "Doesn't mean they can't hook up with someone nice at the dance."
"I like your attitude," purred Urd.
"I'm taken," retorted Barry. "Besides you have a date, remember?"
"Of course!" She looked smug. "But I like to express my appreciation, anyway!" She gave him a warm look.
"She's simply teasing, Ranma," Beldandy said, giggling. "Urd doesn't poach."
"That's a relief."
"Why, are you poach-able?" Her smile was predatory.
"Miss Kamiko!" sighed Barry and frowned at her, but Urd merely grinned. "Are you people going in costume?" he asked finally, turning back to Beldandy.
"I'll be going as a shepherdess from my native land," she said. "Keiichi may not make it back in time to change."
"Miss Kamiko?"
"Oh, I'm going as a goddess. My namesake, in fact."
Barry winced and the others looked uncomfortable.
"Is that…" Akane hesitated.
Urd smiled and waved her hand airily. "The Sisters are a tolerant bunch," she assured them, winking at Barry.
Barry and Jiro dressed in the dojo. Shampoo and Akane were dressing in the house. Jiro looked at the kanji-adorned orange suit Barry handed him with distaste. He had just finished watching an hour or so of taped 'Dragonball Z' episodes.
"Is this really necessary?" he asked.
"I've seen you eyeing the girls," Barry said, "but you seem a bit shy. This will break the ice. Kurrilan's very popular with the girls."
"Why?" Jiro asked, unconvinced.
"He's short," Barry began to list the DBZ character's girl-magnet attraction. He's scrappy, a real team player… He's a softie; he will almost always put aside earth-shaking tasks to save a girl or a kid. He can laugh at himself… and he actually is a very strong martial artist, just not in Goku, Vegeta or Piccolo's league.
"I suppose you're going as Goku?" Jiro was squeezing his hair under the 'skin' cap to give him a bald appearance.
"Oh, I thought about it," Barry admitted. "But I decided to try something else. Shampoo, Akane and I talked it out. There's a series that's just starting up, and I think the three of us can pull it off."
In the house, Akane and Shampoo worked on their hair for the best effect. Shampoo had endured Akane's ministrations as she worked the hair dye in per the Amazon's instructions. Then Shampoo trimmed Akane's hair, which was overdue anyway, in a cut reminiscent of Nabiki's while Akane guided her through drying her hair using ki techniques.
"Hair all done, Akane," Shampoo told her. She stepped back and stroked her now crackling, light green mane between her fingers and shook her head from side to side. "What you think?"
"You make a disgustingly good space pirate." Akane chuckled.
"Soon we see how easy for you to be Imperial Princess!"
Barry pulled his bangs back and found his inattention was going to work to his benefit. His character's hair was actually cut short in the animé, but Barry was unwilling to do that to his host. He pulled his hair back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, just capturing his bangs with an elastic band and pulling his hair tight against his scalp. He shrugged out of his fighting suit and into the severe gray high-collared school uniform.
"How do I look?" he asked Jiro.
"How should I know?" came the reply. "I don't watch that stuff!" He looked down at himself then back at Ranma. "How do I look?"
"Very Kurrilan," Barry said. "You could have a very nice time if you behave yourself."
"That sounds like a contradiction in terms," Jiro said in a puzzled tone.
Barry chuckled. "Don't say I didn't warn ya!" He got a distant look on his face. "The girls are coming out the front door. Let's make sure that cap is on ya all right."
"Ranma, what's this Destructo Disc thing you were talking about?"
"It's Kurrilan's signature projective ki attack." Barry shook his head at Jiro's blank look.
"Is it real?" Jiro asked.
"Well, I can't do it. Not properly, anyway." He made certain all of Jiro's hair was hidden and then straightened up as the shoji opened.
Shampoo's hair, dry now, was almost white with a hint of green. Her bangs were swept back and her hair buns and ponytail undone to create a fantastic mane of hair. She was dressed in a red and black leotard and matching tights that looked painted on.
Beside her, more modest in appearance, but regal in carriage, Akane swept in, her kimono looked rich and her short hair was accented by long pony tails that swept to her knees. "Perhaps we should find a few thick logs and transport them to act as guardians?" Akane laughed easily behind her fan. She had deliberately stilted her speech and pitched it higher for her role as Ayeka of Jurai.
"Naah! They'd just get in the way when we wanted to dance with Ten-chi!" Shampoo drawled, launching herself into a good old Amazon glomp.
"Ryoko, unhand him!" Akane snapped, lowering her fan with similar emphasis. Barry sweated and squirmed, trying to get away from Shampoo without touching anything.
Jiro stared at Shampoo and drooled, his hands writhed slightly. He froze though as she saw him and released Barry to get a better look.
"Ancestors! He's perfect!" Shampoo squealed. She laughed and to his astonishment, bestowed a light kiss on Jiro's cheek. "Look, Akane! Kurrilan is just right!"
Akane grinned and, eyes twinkling, raised her fan again. "Well, if you say so, Ryoko, then I must disagree!"
"What you say?" Shampoo's eyes went wide. "He is perfect Kurrilan!"
Akane continued to fan herself and smirk. "Indeed, that may be true, Ryoko; but if you say it, I must disagree." Shampoo got it then, and laughed, delighted that Akane had scored on her. She got back in character.
"Well, what if I say the sky is blue?"
"Then I would admit that it is overcast, and there is a faint hint of umber at the horizon."
Jiro gaped.
"Man! What did I tell you?" Barry said. "You just made history! The only guy at Furinkan, besides me, that Shampoo ever willingly kissed. Believe me now, Kurrilan?"
Jiro reached up and gently rubbed the rubber cap that simulated Kurrilan's bald head. "It's a little early to see, but maybe hair isn't that important after all."
The gym was decorated in orange and black, with bits of dark colors, mostly greens and purples for effect. Jack O' Lantern cut-outs and cats made up the bulk of the images to Barry's disbelieving eyes. Ranma would have been uncomfortable, to say the least. Ayeka and Ryoko were immediate hits with the guys (even if they quickly learned not to touch) and Kurrilan was an immediate success with the girls. Jiro basked in the attention. If the squeals were any indication, he was copping a few feels, but apparently the girls were forgiving.
Barry was disappointed. His attempt to portray Tenchi Masaki had been a bust. The best comment he had received was, "Hey, keiki! Good to see you in a proper uniform for a change, ya! Mebbe you need a haircut?"
Nobody had even splashed him with cold water. Barry had planned to go into a pre-rehearsed prattle about Tenchi Masaki and the mad scientist Washu exchanging places due to a failed experiment. As it was, he didn't have the heart to splash himself. He wandered over to get a drink from the punch bowl.
When the vampire glided into the gym, there was dead silence. His hair was slicked back with heavy pomade. He was dressed in black and wore a crimson-lined opera cloak. His height and breadth of shoulder was impressive and the fangs looked alarmingly real. On his arm, also cloaked, was a gorgeous feminine presence in skin-tight black; her costume, split to below the navel, barely covered her firm, round breasts. Dark net stockings ended in calf high, stiletto-heeled black boots. Her laugh was so reminiscent of Kodachi's that young men on their way to hit on this vision paled and backed away.
"Who is that?" Shampoo boggled at the pair. Shampoo and Akane had been fascinating the crowd since they arrived with their argumentative prattle and one-upmanship tall tales about imaginary meetings when they were children. Now their fan club was drifting away to see this new pair.
Soon, Jiro joined Barry by the punch, also looking disconsolate. When the vampires had arrived, he had lost his crowd of admirers as well.
"Et tu?" Barry inquired. "Never mind." He dipped out a cup of punch and slugged it back. "Jiro, I wish this punch was stronger than fruit juice."
"It is." Jiro said. Barry stared at him. "I spiked the supply in the kitchen half an hour ago with three bottles of sake!"
Barry looked pained. "I thought that was an American prank."
"Hey! Even they can come up with a good idea, once in a while!" Jiro sniggered. "Want me to top that off?"
"Ummm…" Barry monitored his ki. Ranma's body did not take well to alcohol. "Tell ya what, I'll just nurse along what I have left." He resolved to refill at the water fountain.
"Suit yourself." Jiro poured a cup, checked the temperature, then slugged it back and poured another. "Just right!" he sighed.
Barry decided to check out the goddesses' dates and walked the verge. He met Beldandy first, dividing her attention between the teenagers and her husband. "Watch the punch," he warned them, "It's spiked."
"Urd probably did it," Keiichi said, shaking his head and running his fingers through his close trimmed dark hair. His white shirt was rumpled, as were his black slacks, from the motorcycle ride here. He was just glad he wasn't like some of the others at work, transferred far from their families just to make a living. "She does love her sake," he added.
"Not this time," Barry corrected. "Or, if she did, she wasn't the only one."
Keiichi's eyes widened with understanding. "I guess we better change the punch over," he said with a sigh, anticipating trouble. The crowd around the punch bowl was respectable.
"Wouldn't do any good if it was spiked in the kitchen, now, would it?" Barry elaborated, dryly. Husband and wife exchanged glances.
"I'll handle it, Kei," Beldandy smiled. She spoke softly and at cheek and forehead, tiny marks glowed to life. "There!" she said, marks fading again.
"You know, those who believe the punch was spiked will still be acting blitzed at the end of the evening?" Barry reminded her.
"But at least those who don't, can't be manipulated!" Beldandy said primly. "A goddess resists evil in all forms." Suddenly she sagged and tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "Poor Marller…"
"That can't be helped, love," Keiichi tried to reassure her. "And you said if she wasn't banished, at least for a little while, she would have returned those pictures back the way they were, and there would have been more trouble."
"What?" Barry asked. "You guys didn't tell me about that."
Keiichi looked embarrassed. "Oops…"
"It's all right, Kei," she sighed. "But her superiors can be so very strict."
"Uh… right!" Barry said imagining poorly what that might entail. "Well, I'm going to circulate," he added. "If it helps, for your sake, I hope Marller's, okay."
He came across Hiroshi and Daisuke in ridiculously cheesy vampire outfits. "Hi, guys! Why aren't you over there?" He jerked a thumb over at the newly arrived pair.
"Isn't it sad?" Dai asked, sipping his punch in a way that had Barry wondering if they hadn't spiked it, too. "We're so pathetic."
"Yeah! We have the prefect excuse…" Hiroshi indicated their costumes. "But, man! That date of hers is huge! When a date is twice your size, poaching crosses over the line into insanity." They glanced over and sighed.
Dai suddenly focused around on Barry again. "What are you supposed to be, Ranma? A toe-the-line student?" Barry smacked his face with one hand.
"I thought you were going as Goku?" Hiroshi added.
"Never mind." Barry saw someone by the side door. "See you guys later." He moved closer and confirmed what he had seen. Urd was with a tall sandy-haired man, the former tucked comfortably under the other's arm. Surprisingly, he was not Fabio-type-muscular and dead gorgeous. But his personality crackled as he turned golden colored eyes toward Barry. Ranma's guest grinned. Urd was showing more sense than he'd normally give her credit for.
"Hello, Ranma," Urd said snuggling closer to her date. "Ranma, this is… Eli Adler, my date for the evening." Adler nodded and grinned at him.
"You look comfortable, Urd," Barry replied after exchanging pleasantries. "You guys watching the side door for delinquents?"
"Sort of…" Urd drew a finger and a shiver down her date's arm.
"Urd, most of these kids are a little unprepared to be parents," he chided. Urd continued to gaze warmly up at her tall gaijin. He sighed then brightened. Not far from Urd's feet, a length of rough wood lay. An idea blossomed.
"Hey, ah, Urd… Does this belong to you?" Urd was whispering something into Adler's ear causing a blush. After a few seconds of being ignored Barry retreated with the wood to look for Ichiro who was their class's big-time otaku.
Ichiro was dressed as Goku, which didn't suit him at all. His wig wasn't staying on straight, his suit was too large and his bracers kept sliding off his wrists. Ichiro wasn't as tall and skinny as Gosunkugi, but the height at least would have helped. He grinned as Barry walked up. "Oh! Not too bad as Tenchi, Ranma," he said.
"Thank God!" Barry exclaimed. "Someone figured it out!"
"Well, the stick helped," critiqued the other. "It sort of reminded me of Tenchi's sword the way you were carrying it. If you wanted to go as Tenchi you should have cut your hair."
Barry restrained throttling him. "Ichiro, buddy…" Ichiro was immediately on edge. Ranma's tone set off warning bells. "Do you have that Tenchi poster that shows him holding the sword? Can I borrow it for a sec?
"S-s-s-s-sure, Ranma." He literally seemed to pull it out of the air, a rolled up sheet of photo-quality paper. Barry blinked. Did everyone practice Hidden Weapons around here? As he took it, he noted that most available horizontal surfaces had at least a few spills and food stains on them.
"Ichiro, I don't want to mess this up, so I'm gonna take it back to a class room." He leaned closer. "I'm gonna use martial arts speed whittling to try to make a copy of Tenchi's sword. Maybe then, people will take me seriously."
"O-okay!" Ichiro watched him move off, then tried to swell his thin chest as one of the talk of the night, the vampiress moved his way, hips swaying. "M-my, you look g-good tonight, Chichi," he said with total lack of confidence. His chosen pickup line hadn't worked before and it didn't work, now.
"You've got to be kidding, Ichiro," the vampiress drawled.
Ichiro gulped. Now that he was close, he could see the huge 'V' of skin down the front of the costume was actually covered by a fine mesh of stocking material. But the girl obviously wasn't wearing a bra, and you could see the smooth flesh behind the mesh, especially the breasts almost to the nipples. He began to sweat.
"Have you seen Ranma?" she asked. He nodded and pointed toward the doors that led deeper into Furinkan. She looked that direction and pouted. She had no desire to chase the pigtailed martial artist all over the school. "Darn! Did he say he would be back?" Ichiro nodded jerkily. "I'll catch him later. Thanks, sugar!" She swayed away. Ichiro's eyes bugged out. She had spoken more naturally for a moment and his recognition shook him. He stared after the lush long-legged form swaying back to her date.
"Ukyo Kuonji!" he stammered.
Barry was intercepted as soon as he left the gymnasium.
"Stop right there, delinquent!" Hinako rose and set herself, coin poised. "Ranma?" She lowered her coin. "Why aren't you at the dance?" Beside her stood Soun in his gi, frowning. Didn't the man have any other clothes?
"Yes! Why aren't you escorting my daughter?" he said accusingly. Beside Akane's father were a folding table and chairs, as well as some treats and cups of punch to help make their duty less onerous. Behind them were the bathrooms and locker rooms, a possible make-out area. "You should be in there, acting like a true fiancée, not sneaking out like a…"
"Don't say it, Papa Tendo," Barry growled. Soun shut up with a snap, but continued his aggressive stance. "I'm tryin' ta find some place ta do some costume enhancement," he explained. He put down his drink then held up the fairly straight but knobby section of wood and the Tenchi poster. He explained his intent.
"If you really want enhanced, you should talk to the principal about a haircut," Hinako teased. "You look good in a uniform, too. Planning on making it permanent?"
"Not a chance," Barry grinned. "These collars are too darn tight!"
"It was worth a try. Leave your drink here so you don't spill it on poor Ichiro's poster," she suggested. "And clean up," she added. "If I hear about wood shavings in one of the classrooms tomorrow, I'll nail you!"
"Thanks, Miss Hinako!" He vanished into the darkness.
Soun watched him go then eyed the cup on the table. He couldn't believe his luck. When he had been told his chaperone assignment was with Miss Hinako in the hall off the auditorium, he had almost reneged. He had hoped to maneuver close to Akane's fiancé to slip him the sample he had tracked down, of the drug Cologne had used so effectively on him after the near drowning incident. Then he would suggest that Ranma be romantic, manly and assertive, perhaps proposing to Akane before the entire student body! Back here, he hadn't seen a chance to do the deed and was rather grumpy about it. This opportunity was like a gift from the gods!
As Hinako looked after Ranma, he fumbled in his gi for the powder and sprinkled it into Ranma's cup. He was sitting comfortable and relaxed when Hinako turned around. She stepped slowly back to the table her eyes huge and her attitude waif-like.
"Soun, I wonder if we could talk?" she said, her voice quiet.
Soun swallowed convulsively, his throat suddenly dry. The path of a martial artist was fraught with peril.
"I wish you would give me a chance, Soun," she said, dropping her eyes and sitting lightly on her chair. "I understand that the… difficulties are huge. But you are one of the manliest men I've ever seen. So tall and strong and… sweet." She raised her eyes again. She had been throwing suggestions Soun's way, earlier, but he had seemed so preoccupied! Her suggestions had been largely ignored. But now he seemed more alert. She'd strike while the iron was hot! "I know I look like a child, Soun," she said levelly. "But I assure you, I am a woman, a very lonely woman."
Soun tried to answer, choked, then grabbed a cup from the table and drank to moisten his throat. Suddenly, he looked at the cup in horror. Had he…?
"I wish you could at least think about loving me."
"I could think about it," he agreed. Damn! That stuff was fast acting!
Hinako froze. What had he said?
Urd's escort looked down at her and grinned. "You're pushin' it, love."
"Well, I am pushy!" Urd answered. "Can't a girl have some fun?"
"Eli Adler?" he asked, eyebrows rising. "'Most High Eagle'?"
"Can't get much higher than the top of Yggdrasil!" she teased. But her date was suddenly looking around on the ground. "What's wrong?"
"That chunk of wood! Nidhugg knocked it off the tree when Skuld sent him back," he explained. "Kamisama, was that worm in a bloody snit! I brought it with me to ground it out, but…" he looked worried. "I hadn't done it yet. I got a bit distracted."
"Oh. Only… a bit?" Urd breathed.
"All right. A lot!" He chuckled. "You definitely ruffle my feathers."
"That's better." Urd leaned away, considering. "There's so much cold iron around here that it'll be grounded pretty quickly, anyway. Don't worry about it."
"But if someone shapes it and stabilizes it…"
"Unless you had someone shadowing you with the hope of stealing it, that's unlikely." Urd pointed out. "There are no tools on the mortal plane tough enough to even mark wood from Yggdrasil. And if anyone tries to shape it with a knife or a power tool, it will be ordinary grounded wood. Relax!" She put her arms around him again. If she'd ever known of Ranma's Nekoken, she definitely wasn't thinking of it now.
Barry stood over the wastebasket and compared the object in his hand to the intricately worked handle in Tenchi's hand on the poster. Not bad! He ran his hands over it carefully, with a sandpapering effect, smoothing and polishing the surface to a glass-like finish. It was nearly perfect. He looked back and forth between them. 'Tenchi' he thought, and grinned. It was called 'Tenchi', just like the character that wielded it.
Though it was sort of a light saber and personal weapon of Tenchi Masaki from his grandfather, Yosho, Prince of Jurai, it was more, much more! It was the key to the Wings of the Light Hawk, the ultimate manifestation of Jurai power and Tenchi's ultimate destiny.
The wood was beautiful. Ivory and sienna blended in its grain; it was very hard, and its ki signature was powerful and distinctive. For some reason, the shavings in the basket were dull and lifeless compared to the length he had in his hand.
He looked at it again and noted there was still one little difference. The hilt in the poster had three red gems at the end. He had carved them, but… It didn't quite look right. Red… he didn't have anything red handy… except blood, of course. Hmmm…
The party was noisy, with dancing, karaoke, pranks, a few fights and a few embarrassing moments. Quite unusual for Furinkan — almost peaceful.
"Where is that baka?" Ayeka of Jurai asked Ryoko, the space pirate. "He said he could dance, and now he's hiding somewhere."
"Our pet otaku said he was making a costume adjustment," the vampiress said. "He'll be along."
"He better not come back a girl," grumbled the big vampire, her escort. "I hate the way he does Washu-chan's voice."
"What? Isn't it good enough?" Ryoko asked.
"It's damned annoying!"
"He means, Ryoko dear, that our lord Tenchi does it just right."
"I can think of other things that are damned annoying," complained Ryoko.
"Hahahahahah!" Ayeka laughed with a glitter of amusement in her eyes.
"Oh-hohohohohohohohoo!" commented the vampiress, imitating Kodachi's laugh. Ryoko held her ears and glared at them both. Every one else stared at them and shuddered, except the vampiress's escort who glanced, then staggered and held his nose.
"Do you have to look so… naked?" he complained, blood dripping.
Gosunkugi wandered the dance snapping pictures and grinning. His new camera was so-o-o-o cool! He was willing to bet that some people would pay dearly for the sights tonight.
Barry frowned. Who'd have thought he couldn't cut himself with the Nekoken? He looked around for something sharp, then paused. He had almost cellular control with the ki. Why not simply call it out of a surface capillary? He held his hand steady and dripped blood onto each of the 'gems' carved into the hilt. Now, to crystallize it and repeat on the other side. He turned the hilt over and froze, shocked. Instead of clean wood, the gems on the opposite side gleamed red as well. He gulped and began to wonder if, maybe, he had made a serious error. It had been such a good idea, too! But if he had learned anything in this world, it was that nothing was necessarily what it seemed. He tucked the Tenchi in his belt and headed back to the dance to look for Urd or Beldandy.
He passed Soun and Hinako's station and paused… and boggled. Three students were stretched out on the floor, having obviously been ki-drained while sneaking out. Soun, and Hinako's adult form were locked in an impressive clench while the latter sat on Soun's lap. 'Maybe I was wrong,' he thought at the barely restrained sounds of rising passion. 'Not what I would have expected of them at all!'
Then a thunderous shock rocked the building. The ripple surged, throwing Hinako and Soun through the doors into girl's locker room. 'Earthquake?' Barry thought, surging back to his feet. Then he heard mocking evil laughter. "If only!" he growled, springing forward.